Eric Church Fights ‘Monsters’ in Emotional New Single [Listen]

Eric Church is facing his fears, both imaginary and real, in his new single, "Monsters." The stripped-down acoustic track from his Desperate Man album finds the singer "on my knees," praying for the strength to face the problems that come his way in life.

The song's lyric is a twist on the familiar theme of a child's irrational fear of the monster under the bed.

"I killed my first monster when I was seven years old / It melted like butter in my bathroom's 60-watt bulb," Church sings over simple acoustic guitar chords to open the track. But as the song progresses, he admits that he's turned to prayer to face his all-too-real challenges as an adult.

"Anymore when a restless feeling keeps me up at night / Falling on my knees is my new turnin' on the light / I keep my faith intact, make sure my prayers are said / 'Cause I've learned that the monsters ain't the ones beneath the bed," he sings in the chorus.

Get the Scoop on Eric Church's "Desperate Man"!

The arrangement builds throughout the second verse of "Monsters," adding a throbbing bass and drum part that helps imbue the song with a much more hopeful tone as Church hits the second chorus. An interestingly angular electric guitar solo lifts the middle section before Church closes out the track by unexpectedly bringing the lyric back around to childhood fears, bringing it back down to simple acoustic chords as he finds himself by his son's bedside, comforting the boy as he confronts his own fears.

Church teamed with Jeff Hyde to co-wrote "Monsters," which is the third single from Desperate Man following the album's title song and Church's most recent No. 1 hit, "Some of It." Jay Joyce produced the song, with Arturo Buenahora, Jr., serving as executive producer.

"Monsters" was inspired by Church's son, Boone, asking his dad for some more light in his room at bedtime. However, the song took on new meaning for Church after his performance at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas in October of 2017. On the third and final night of the festival, a gunman opened fire on the crowd, killing 59 people and injuring hundreds and hundreds more.

“I think ‘Monsters’ after Vegas became more real to me,” Church tells iHeartRadio.

“I was a little lost for a while. I think like a lot of people I was in a little bit of a funk after something like that,” he tells Rolling Stone Country. “I was still a little burned out. A little bit going through the motions. I think that’s part of what happened when I first went into the studio, is I still wasn’t quite ready to get there."

Did You Know? Church drew on classic rock and soul influences for the songs on Desperate Man.

Eric Church's "Monsters" Lyrics:

I killed my first monster when I was seven years old / He melted like butter in my bathroom's sixty-watt bulb / Kept a three-cell MagLite from Daddy's workshop drawer / Under my pillow and I'd pull it like a sword

Chorus: Anymore when a restless feelin' keeps me up at night / Fallin' on my knees is my new turnin' on the light / I keep my faith intact, make sure my prayers are said / 'Cause I've learned that the monsters ain't the ones beneath the bed

The wolf hunts a hungry man and the devil a lonely heart / A minefield of bad decisions lay hidin' in the dark / Greed stalks, sickness steals, and pride lays a wicked trap / You can't avoid 'em all, no, you gotta trust me on that

Repeat Chorus

Daddy, check my closet, leave on the bathroom light / I smile and say "All clear" when I tuck him in for the night / But Daddy, I'm still scared, can I sleep with you instead? / I kneel down beside my little man and I bow my head